- IDENTIFICATION OF PHYTOMORPHS IN THE VOYNICH CODEX 55
(a) (b)Fig. 1.53. Valeriana albonervata: (a) fol. 65r; (b) botanical drawing ofV. albonervatafrom
Meyer (1951).
FF. Valerianaceae
- Fol. 65r.Valeriana albonervata(Fig. 1.53).The palmate- or cleft-
lobed leaves; inflorescence; and napiform to fusiform, often forked tap-
roots (Fig. 1.53a) are a good match forValeriana albonervataB.L. Rob.
(Fig. 1.53b). This is native to the Sierra Madre of Mexico (Meyer 1951).
GG. Verbenaceae
- Fol. 94r.Duranta erecta(D. repens) (Fig. 1.54).This has termi-
nal black fruits with a white terminal knob, arranged in a corymb
or umbel. Leaves are obcordate and crenate. The roots are thick and
brown, branched (Fig. 1.54a). Except for the shape of the inflorescence
(Fig. 1.54b), this matches perfectly a dried specimen of the repent form
ofDuranta erectaL. (D. repensL.), golden dewdrop (Fig. 1.54c). This
shrub is native from Florida and Texas, south to Argentina. The fruits
are golden yellow when fresh and borne on a panicle, but when dried,
they often quickly fall apart and turn black. Presumably because of the
color of the fruits matching that of a dried specimen, the sample would
have been fragmented when the artist prepared this illustration, and